Key mechanism fob



A. LOOMIS.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD WIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLlCATlON FILED AUG. 20. I913. RENEWED MAY 28. 1919.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 1- INVENTU A. LOOMIS.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD WIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION man AUG.20, 191s. RENEWED MAY 28,1919.

1,336,359. P te ed Apr- 6, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVEN'TCJR- ikwiw WITNESSES- A. LOOMIS. KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD WIND INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED MIG-2D, 1913. RENEWED MAY 23. 1919.

1,336,359. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A. LOOMI'S.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD wmo INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, l 9l3- RENEWED MAY 28.1919. 1,336,359. tented Apr- 6, 1920; I 9 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Whole/2 I rlz A. LOOMIS.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD ,WIND INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1913. RENEWED MAY 28. ISIS.

1 ,336, 359. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

9 SHEET$-SHEET 5.

E: WITNESSES- INVENT 7Q 62 /Q?fl//W by A, LOOMIS.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD WIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATWN mEu AUG.20, 191a. RENEWED MAY 28. I919.

1,336,359, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

1149M by? m E :3!

A. LOOMES.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2U, \913: RENEWED MAY 28,1919.

1,336,359, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

9 SHEE1S-SHLET I- \l VEN 713 Patented Apr. 6; 1920.

9 SHEETSSHEET 8.

WITNES5E5= A. Looms. KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD WIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 19H]. RENEWED MAY 28,1919- 1,336,359, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 9.

,Id jvziaz.

ALLEN LOQMIS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

KEY MECHANISM FOR WOOD-WIND INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application filed August 20, 1913, Serial No. 785,707. Renewed May 28, 1918. Serial No. 300,482.

[0 alZw/wmz'tmay concern} p t Be it known that I ALLEN Looms, a

citizen of the United tates, and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne "and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key Mechanism for VVood-Wind Instruments, --of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to musical instruments of the type known as wood-wind, and to instruments of that nature, whether actually made of wood, or ofmetal, rubber, or any other material; or, in; other words, to instruments distin ished by'holes in; the side of the tube, which forms the-body of the instrument, adapted to 'bo stopped' -a'1"i-d opened in orderto alter the vibratinglength of .the resonant body of air'in slichtube and thereby determine the -pitch of=the tone produced. In this class of instruments-are included not only such well known and commonly used instruments as the; flute, pic} colo, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and saxophone, but all other instruments having the distinguishing characteristic of," tone holes in the body of the instrumentcommunicating with the interior thereof, to all :ofwhichinstru ments my invention is applicable, -whatever the form, the meansfor 'producing'th-e tone, and other characteristics of the instrument may be. It is particularly with the key mechanisms of such instruments that my invention is concerned. Nearly all instruments of the type above indicated are provided with mechanical stoppers and key mechanisms for stoppin at least some of the tone holes, instead of having all the holes stopped by the fingers of the performer directly, and instruments of the better grades have more mechanical stoppers and a greater number and variety 0 manually op erated key mechanisms for o crating them than those of the poorer and c ieaper grades, for the obvious reason that operating finger keys, located more conveniently to the players fingers than the holes themselves increase ease of playing and brilliancy of execution.

Many inventions and improvements have thus far been made insuch mechanisms with this end in view, but in spite of all that has been accomplished, there remain some sequences of notes, and trills, thatcannot be played at all, and others which can be played only with great difiiculty, and poorly, even by the best performers. The various in struments of the general type above referred to differ among themselves as to the note com- 'binations which cannot be played, and some have greater flexibility, that is, can play a greater variety of note sequences, than =others. It is the purpose of my invention to, among other things, remove the disabilities hitherto existent in such instruments, and make all 'thedifi'erent instruments of the type indicated not only more flexible than at present, butequally flexible with one annthenand capable of having all note sequences-played upon them,"w1thout necessitatmg sacrifice inany degree of purity of tone or of other desirable tone qualities obtaiiia'blefby the' be'st Qld style instruments. One-" ef th'e'mo'st important of the'prior inventions herei'nbefore"referred co, is that of-the Boehm flute in which stoppers are provided for practically all the tone holes and are normally held open, and in which also the holesare" made larger than those of the old style flute in order to permit the employment of the open keysystem, with the radical change in fingering involved in its use. But'the Boehm fiute, while having decided advantages on thes'ide of execution over the old style flute, is inferior to the latter in point of tone qualities, resonance, etc, as is well known to those'skilled' in the use of the flute. My invention enables the mechanical advantages of the Boehm open key system to be utilized in connection with the old style flute, while retaining unimpaired all the musical and tonal su eriorities of the latter, and enables some e ects of execution to be produced which are not obtainable with the Boehm system; andIfnrther, it makes possible the application of these advantages to all instruments of the wood wind type. The fundamental principles of the invention may be applied to all the holes and keys of any of the instruments referred to, or all of them, and makes possible the following efi'ects, viz: to play a major or minor trill on any note. and doing so by vibrating only one finger; to secure perfect venting of all notes, whether the upper notes of major trills or notes occurring in passages, thus making the notes resonant without requiring the tone holes to be made any larger than is necessary to secure the greatest purity of tone when vented; enabling all the holes below the tone hole to be opened for the purpose of securing resonance in the lower and middle registers where it is desirable; openin a tone hole after the same has been closed y pressure of the finger upon one key, b pressing with another finger on another ey, and compounding the motion of" illustrated several embodiments or modifications of my invention, all embodyin the same fundamental principles, operab eto secure the effects above suggested, but showing some of the various ways m which these principles may be worked out for special pur oses. In the drawings, t

Figure 1 represents on an enlarged scale a piccolo showing my invention applied In different forms to the key mechanisms; P Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2 -201 fiiigs 3 and 4 are cross sections taken on the line H of Fig. 1 showing the mechanism in difi'erent positions. a a v i Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the mechanisms illustrated in Fig.1.

Figs. 6, 7, and Q are cross sections .taken on lines 6'6, 77', and 8.8, respectively, .OfFig. 5.

Figs. 9, 10. and 11 are views similztnto Fig. 8 showing the mechanism illustrated therein in different possible positions.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view ofanother modified form of my invention.

Fig. 13 represents a central transverse section of the-mechanism shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a plan view showing a special form of my inventiona'pplied as a modification of the Boehm flute.

Fi 15 is a cross section on line 15-157of Fig. 14. I 1 Figs. 16 and 17 are respectively a plan iew an an elevation of still anothermodificnt on. I T

Fig. 18 is a cross section on line 1818 of in. 19 is an elevation showing another m dification of my invention adapted 'for controlling the octave keys of an oboe.

Fins. 20. 21, and 22 are cross sections on l ne 20-20, 21-21, and 22- 22; respectively, of Fig. 19.

Fig. 23 is an elevation of a lever whi h forms a part of the mechanism illustrated in the last named four figures as seen from the sidenext to the body of the instrument.

Figs. 24 and 25 are plan views showing different parts of another instrument and representing theapplioation of my invention to-the control of all-the keys and stoppers of the instrument.

Fig. 26 is a longitudinal section on the -invention illustratedin Figs. 24 to 43.

Fig. 45 is an elevation of the instrument shown in Fig. 44.. 5. Eigaafi, 47, a8nand 49 are cross sections on 311611110946, 47, 48 and 49, respectively, of Fig. I '5 -1 igs. 50 and-51am perspective views of details-of the mechanism shown in the last Fig.5 2lis-an enlarged view of the right hand end ofFig. 4 4; Fig. 5.3 is a similar view of the right lumd end ,of Fig. 45.

Figs. 54, 55, 56, and 57 are sectional views taken on the correspondingly numbered cross lines 'of'Fig. 52. A

Thesame, reference characters indicate the samepartsinnll thefigures. slab-as heenlmyaimin making the foregoingfil l'ujstrations to show many of the forms in Whichi the fundamental idea of my inventionmay be embodied.v Fundamentally the invention is Simple and consists first in a means-aim compounding the motion of two fingers of the player to produce motion'of astojpper; second, in providing a mounting for a stopperof such character that the stop per mayrbamoved .inone way by one finger andni'ay-hej otherwise moved by another finger'without requiring any further or other movement of the first-named finger; and in the provision of means by which these effects may be secured and the key system be an open one. without requiring the provision of opposed springs acting in connection with the same stopper or key one spring normally overbalancing the other.

' In Fi s. 1 tell inclusive I have shown the appllcation of the essential principles of my invention invarious forms of mechanical embodiment to a wood-wind instrument, se-. lecting for'the purpose of concrete illustration the piccolo as; thepartieular instrument but without intendinglthereby to imply that the invention is limited to that or any other particular instrument. In these figures 1 represents the bOdYfOf the instrument, which is a tnbehaving' a gradually tapering conical here, ,With 'lateralholes which pass from the bore through the walls of the tube. One of the tkeysmechanisins which includes two finger pieces and a stopper,-adapted to control three holes, consists of the finger pieces 2 and 3, which are here shown as rings adapted to surround the lateral holes H and J, respectively. Said rings are carried by arms 4 and 5, respectively, which are both rigidly connected to a sleeve 6, which is piroted upon the pin or screw 7 held in posts 8 and 9. The arms 4 and 5 carry a pivot pin or rod 10 upon which fits rotatably a sleeve 11 having a hook 1 2 To the sleeve 11 is fixed rigidly .an arm or lever 13 carrying a stopper 14 which is adapted-to stop one ofthe tone holes, which as here shown is the hole between the holes Hand J. Lever 13 has an oppositely extending arm,which is providedwith stops 15 and lfilying above andbelow the sleeve. oprespectively, and adapted to contact with said sleeve to. limit pivotal motion of the stepper lever,.'but far enon h apart to permit sufficient movement of sand lever. The-stop 15 is alsoa finger piece adapted to receive pressure from the players finger to raise the stop er.

It will be understoo from the foregoing that when either the holeH or the hole J or both is stopped by the playeris finger, pressure is also applied upon :the finger piece 2 orthe piece 3, respectively, thereby: swinging the unit structnre consisting; of the arms sand Sleeve and Pie 0 t ward he bo of the a m and beg i hws oppa 14 to a; seat overthe tone hole, beneath it. While the parts ,are in this position the pp ay b ai d by P sent pP by anotherdi'gitvon finger piece 14:, without requiring. either of the other fingers to be removed or shifted. For convenience of description the structure consisting of :the parts 4, 5, 6, and 10 will be considered and called a holder or carrier, and thelever or arm 13 will be called a-vfloating piece or member which carries astopper and of which the sleeve llvis the hub or pivot hearing. The floating piece is heldwith its stop 16 against the sleeve. =6 bymeans of aspring 17 which is mounted in the" arm 5 and engages the hook 12. Thiszspring has sulficient force to press the pad firmly over the hole and close the same hermetically whenever the carrier or sholder isde ressed as described. The spring has no'e ect in-resisting the movement of the holder, however, since its action and reaction are both applied only upon parts of thelholder. The holder is normally held elevated by a spring 18, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which is mounted in the post 8 and engages a hook 19 ,on the arm 5. The spring-imparted motion of this holder is limited by a stop arm 20 fixed to the holder and having a foot 21 adapted to make contact with the body of the instrument Each spring performs its function independently of the other and particularly without impairment of force by the other. In other words there is noefi'ect of balanced springs. It will be noted further that'the floating piece 13 and its finger piece 15 are so located that the pressure applied by the players finger on the piece 15 has no tend-. ency to raise the holder or carrier, but that the tendency of such pressure is to produce a turning moment of the entire holder about its axis ,in the same sense as the moment produced by pressure on the pieces 2 and 3, and that finally when the motion of the floating piece is stopped positively by the .piece 15 contacting with sleeve 6, the pressure subsequently applied has no effect to turn thelholder in either direction; The particular feature is that at no time does the pressure applied to the finger piece 15 oppose or counteract that applied to the finger piece 2 or the fin er piece 3.

,An obvious modification of the mechanism just described is to replace the ring shaped fin 'er piece 3 by a lover, a plate, or a segment of a ring adjacent to the hole J, so that the latter may be kept closed whenever such finger piece is held down, and without requirin the finger of the player directly to stop t 1e hole, This modification would permit the same finger used in stopping the hole 'J to raise the stopper 14 by being slipped overg upon the finger piece 15 in such a wayas to maintain ressure on the arm 5 at thesame time; t will also be clear after, a consideration of other forms of the mechanism, hereinafter described, that a key or finger piece similarto keys elsewhere described in this specification might be provided to operate a'second stopper for closin" the hole J.- In either modification as well as in the construction shown a major trill may be played on the note corres 0nding to the hole K next below the hole ll by vibrating, the finger which operates the piece 2, without touching the finger piece 15.

he mechanism as shownprovides means whereby either a minor or major trill may be 'pla ed on the note corresponding to the hole A minor trill is performed by keeping the hole J covered and vibrating the stopper 14, while the major trill is performed by vibrating the finger piece 3, and causing the operatlng finger to close the hole J at every vibration. Then the entire carrier and floating piece are moved together, a nd both the hole J and the hole covered by the stopper are covered and uncovered in unison. For the purpose of illustration and not of limiting the invention to any particular instrument or to any particular location upon an instrument, it may be considered that the hole H is the GM tone hole, the hole covered by stopper 14 is the Gil: tone hole, the hole J is the A11 tone hole and the hole K is the F 1? tone hole. The principles involved in the mechanism just described are embodied, with or without modification and additions in other forms of the invention hereinafter described.

Another form of the invention illustrated as being applied upon the same instrument consists of the finger pieces 22 and 23 and the stopper 24- for controlling the holes L,

arms-1125 and 26,1'espectivelg'i M, and N which may be considered for illustration as corresponding to the Bh Oh and Gil tone holes, respectively. These finger pieces are also shown as rings, but they might as well be plates or stoppers, or indirectlyconnected with separate latesor stoppers, 'as's nggested in connection with the finger piece '3, They are carried by Whicharerlg idly secured upon a sleeve having a pivot bearing on a rod fastened 28"and 29. The sleeve also curries rigidly 'a' yoke 'or stirrup 30 in which is a pivot stud 31' Fig. 2) whereon is pivoted a lever 33 which carries'the stop er 24, said lever being connected with a u'b or sleeve 34, andbeing carried beyond thepost 28 and offset into the line of the sleeve 27. On"the'olfset end of lever 33 is mounted, a finger piece 35 in the form of an anti friction roll or sleeve journaled on a pin which projects from the lever in approximate alinement with the axis of sleeve 27. The rigidly connected parts 22, 23,25,265, 27 30 and 31 constitute a pivotally mounted holder carrier on which is pivotally mounted the floating piece 23 carrying the stopper'24l ,The entire holder 'isnormal-ly raisedso as to oncover all the holes by means of "a spring- 36 fixed in the post 29 and bearin on a lug 37 connected with the arm 25. e floating piece is normally held down against arm 25, which constitutes a stop, by a spring '38 fixed to the holder and bearing against a hook 39 connected with the floating piece. A stop 40 opposite'to the ar'ni25 limits the movement of'the floating piece caused by pressure on the finger-piece 35.

The essential principles of this mechanism are identical with those of the mechanism previously described. The stopper may be closed when either finger piece 22 or 23 is pressed upon audit is held closed hermetically by the spring 38, which however opposes no resistance to the movement of the mechanism as a whole. The independent relative movement of the floating piece enables the stopper to be opened while the hole on either side of it is closed. This stopper, floating piece, and its finger piece are also so arranged that the pressure of the finger on the finger piece 35 has no tendencv to cause uncoveringof either'hole L or 'N. In this mechanism also the vibration of either 22 or 23 by one finger only,

such finger being so placed as to close the hole beneath it when pressed toward the instrument body, causes two holes to besimultaneously opened and closed and thereby permits a major trill -to be played, while by holding down the finger which acts on the finger piece 23 and vibrating the stopper 24 a minor trill may be played.

Such mechanisms as hereinbefore described may be applied to all the tone holes of an instrument and suitably interconnected by known means or otherwise, so as to permit major or minor trills to'be correctly played on all the notes within the range of the instrument, with perfect vtruth and purityof, itch and tone. l'have illustrated and will escribe hereinafter ways in which it possible to control all the tone holes bysuchmechanisms.

A giroupofthree holes P, and K which for'il ustration may be considered as being the El; Fh andFlt tone holes" respectively, are controlled by three stoppe two normal finger keys and a trill key. These parts are illustrated in the left hand ortion of F i 1 and in Figs. 5 to 11 in usive- In t is mechanism the stopper 41 which controls the IwIeK is carried by "anarm' 42 which is se iiredto as leeve'43, to which also is sccurekl an arm adapted to stop against the body of' the instrument 4 and having an ofls'et 'fiodt45..;-Sleeve '43 mounted with free'plgotah-nio'tionnpon a rod'44 which is-ltsel pivotii'll :Inounted'oh the pointed studs 45*- ahlle "eld intheposts can 48', re pectively and provides the bearing also as wiea sieeveaa- ,Fi'xed w the sleeve 49 areftlie nmate-and 51 (arm" being formed atth'e end sea finger piece or key 50*) which forin part of a yoke or carrier hereinafter'described; the arms 52 and 53 which form pa-rts'.of another yoke 'or carrier and-an arm 53* which has. an offset foot 54-lying'between the body of the instrhmentand the foot45, of the arm 44, Secured upbhthe inner rod 44", by means of pins or: otherwise are a lever 55 having a fi'nger piece' 56; an arm 57 having an olfset loot-58 between the body of the instrument-and the foot 45, and a third arm 59. The latter arm is provided to receive the thrust of a'spring 60 which is fixed in the post 47 and normally holds the rod so that the arm57'bears against the body of the instrument and the key 56 is raised. The sleeve 49 is normally s'o held that the yoke arms'fill, 51 and 52, '53 are raised andthe foot 54 of arm-"53" is stopped against the body, of the instrument, by a spring 61 which is fixed in the post 48 and bears against a hook or lug 62 fast to theslee've 49. Similarly-the sleeve 43 is normally held so that lte'stoparm 44 bears against the foot pieces 54 and 58, and the arm 42 with the stopper'4l is raised by a spring 63 fixed in the post 47 and bearing against :1 lug or hook 64'fixed to'sleeve 43.

The yoke arms 50 and 51 carry a pivot rod 65 on which is pivoted a sleeve 66 carrying a floating piece in the form'of a bell crank lever '67 to which the sto per 68 is fixed. Said bell crank lever or eating piece has an upwardly extending arm 67 to which is pivotally connected one end of a link 69, the other end of said link being pivoted to an arm which is fastened to a shaft 71. Said shaft is mounted between posts 72, 73 on pointed pivot screws fixed in said posts as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. The arm 70 extends far enough to act as a stop by hearing against the sleeve 49, against which it is normally held by the sprin 74, fixed in post 72 and engaging a lugor hook 75 'on' the shaft 7 1. 'A lever 7 6, formed as a Mayor finger piece is secured to the shaft 71','and has a downwardly projecting web 76" adapted to limit the movement of the key by strikin the tube 1. The yoke arms 52 and 53 half the opposite ends of a pivot rod 77 on which is rotatably mounted a sleeve 78 which'is connected to and forms part of a bell crank lever 79 carrying a stopper 80 and having an upwardly extending arm.79. The upstanding arm 79 of the floating lever 79 is connected by means of a link 81 and a pin or rod 82 with an arm 55? forming a part of the keylever 55. The parts are normall held in the positions shown the sectiona views Figs. 6, 7", and 8 with the stoppers and keys all raised, '1

"The keys 50 and 56 control all three stoppers and may be manipulated'so' as to obtarnlthe characteristic note ofany of the three holes controlled thereby, with the hole properly vented- When both keys are raised the note roduced is that characteristic of the hole C, which in the instrument illustrated is Ft, it being understood that the holes above this hole are closed. If key 56 alone is dressed the stopper 41 is closed throughtiie action of key lever 55 in rotating rod 4-1" and swinging the arm 5750 as to eaten the arm 44 and thereby swin the arm 42 and stopper 4]. toward the tu e 1. The same motion swings the floating piece 79 carrying the stopper 80 toward the hole 0, but does not close that hole because the pivot 77 of the floating piece is normally held at sucha height that the utmost possible movement of key 56 merely swings the pad 80 from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fi 9, inwhich it'is not near enough to' the ole O .to, stop the same. When the key 50 is pressed t e two stoppers 41 and 6,8 are closed upon-the holes K and P, respectively, stopper41 being closed by the action of the arm 53 which is rotated by the sleeve 49 and which acts on the arm 44 in the same manner that the arm 57 acts. At the same time the yoke or carrier 50, 51 is moved toward the bodyof the' instrument, carrying the floating piece 67 with it and pressing the stopper 68 upon the hole P. The normal position of stopper 68 is near enough to the instrumentbody so that the movement permitted to the key 50" is suflicient to bring the stopper against the instrument body, the floating piece being guided by the link 69 so that it bears squarely on the-rim of the hole. At the same time the yoke or carrier 52, 53 carries the stopper 80 towardthe instrument body but not into contact with the rim of the hole 0 because it is held back by the raised key lever 55 and link 81, in approximately the position shown in Fig. 10. If now the key 56 is also depressed the floating piece 79 is swung about the now lowered pivot 77 into the position shown in F ig. 11 where it stops the hole 0. Thus it ivi I be' seen that either key 56 or 50 closes the holeK,,that the key 50 alone closes bothhdles K and P and that the action of vthe two 'ke 5 together closes all three holes. Hole may be uncovered even though key 50 or both 50? and 56 are depressed, by pressin u on the trill key 76, the movement of w ic toward the instrument body turns shaft 71, swings the arm 70 outwardly, and'pulls upon the link 69 to swing the floating piece 67 about its pivot 65 .and' raise theistopier. By vibrating key 56 when key 50v is. epressed it is possible to "produce the minor trill on Dt, that is, the note produced by the hole next below the hole",O." By maintainin pressure on key 56, and vibrating key 5 alone the major trill on Di! may be played because the motion of 5Q opens and closesboth pads 68 and 80 simultaneously, pad 80 being brought from the position shown in Fig. 9 to that in Fig. 11 upon every depression 015.50". Each of these trills is accomplished by vibrating only one finger, and this finger in the case of the major trill operates two stoppers simultaneously. The trill key 76 is used to nlaythe' minor. trill .on E.

This key mechanism. illustrates a means for compounding the motion of two keys to impart motion to a stopper, such means consisting of a four-bar linkage. Therigidly connected arms 50 and 51 form one of the bars of one linkage and the other three bars are composed of the floating lever arm 67, the link 69 and the lever 70. In the linkage operating the stopper 80, the rigidly connected arms 52, 53 form one bar and the other three bars are composed of the lever arm 79, the link 81.. and the arm 55. In both of these linkages the operation of one finger produces a, movement of the stopper inde endently of the motion produced by another finger, these motions in one case being opposed and in the other taking place in the same direction. The motion given to the trill'key. 76 by one finger withdraws the sto per afi'ected from the position given it by t e pressure of another finger on the key 50, while in .the case of the stopper 80 pressureon two keys simultaneously is necessary to produce .the full movement of the stopper. In the first case the motion of the two 'keysiscompounded to open the stopper after closing it, and in the second case these motions are compounded to move the stopper from open to closed position and the reverse. This mechanism is one by which two fingers are enabled. to control three holes perfectly with the production of resonant notes at each of the holes. Essentiall the same mechanism is applicable to a l the holes of a wood-wind instrument, and the application thereto in this manner has beenjllustrated in Filgs. 24 to 43 inclusive" of hose drawings, ater described. The position of theAtF tone hole is indicated by a dotted ,ellipse' in 'Eigd, to which the reference letter A31 'is applied. Such tone hol is npt actually visible when the instruments is yiewcd' from the positionsho'wnin Fig.1, as it is on the rear side of the body. It is controlled by a simple. stopper and finger p ece, of any ordinary character, which is' not linked j p with an of the mechanisms heretofb ie described Wit which my present inyentionisiconcer ed.

F-igsp12 and 13 illustrate a mod' cation of mechanisms forlcontrolling three holes by two finger keys in which the inotion of. .cbm a ds s meefi t c c .i'p'rcsents the;

oles In Figs; 1 and the similarly lettred 5. 5 I For convenience of deseription it may he assumed also thatthe instrument ,is of the same description as' that already described and o e a d K are he. ame" asalrea y 85 are the stoppers for these. holes nespectiyely; the first of which is carried .b'y'an'tir'm 86' secured rigidly to a sleeve 87mv'hich isnionnted to rotatc on ,a rodSBEwhich;isxpivoted on the piyot, point screws mounted in v, the posts- 89 and 90; Sleeve 87 has a spline or key 91 which fits a guideway in an outer sleeve :2, to be presently more fully described. Stolpper 85 is carried byan arm 93 which is xed on a short sleevc194 pivoted upon the inner rod 8 Beside arm 93 is an arm 95 secured to the inner rod 88 and having its end offset to overlie lever 03. On the other end of rod 88 'is a lever 96 carrying :i finger piece or key. 97., p r

.o The stripper 84; is secured to the finger piece or key .98, conveniently as an integralpart thereof, and Said finger piece 98 has alug 99 adapted to press-upon the stopper- 85. Thus when either key 9701- 98 is depressed the stopper 85 is closed. thisresult being eifected from the key 97 through the inner rod 88 and the offset arm 93, and being effected by the key 98 directly through the lug 99. Depression of key 98 also closes stopper 84, thereby at the same time closing both holes K and P. V

The two keys together. control the stopper 83 by compounding their motions as follows. The arm 100, which carries the key thatfthc. notes produced at the 98 is pivoted on the rod .38, and has connected to it by an arm or web 101, a cam segment 102 having a helical end face 103. A similarand oppositely disposed cam segment 104 is connected with the key lever 96 by a web 105 and has a helical end face 106 making an angle withrespect to the common axis, which is approximately equal and o posits tothe angle of the face 103. The s eeve 92 is connected by arms 107 or otherwise with an intermediate cam segment 108 having oppositely inclined end surfaces which are arranged to abutagainst the surfaces 103 and 106', respectively, and to have smooth sliding contacttherewith. The intermediate segmcntc108 is in effect a wedge between the two flanking inclined cams 102 and 104. When the two cams are moved in unison in the same direction, by simultaneous depression of the keys 97 and 98, the intermediate cam 108, being unable to .move en'dwise, is compelled to swing about the axis, thereby turning sleeve 9 2and oscil-- latingthe stopper 83, through the spline 91, fan'enongh toclose this stopper. hormally the keys, 98 and 97 are raised until they are stopped bythcir respective cam segments coming mtocontact with the body of thei'nstrnment. amen either key alone is depressed it moves the intermediate cam segment 108 both rotatably and axially. Springs109 and 110 fixed in a post L11 bear against the stopper levcrsi93 and 86, respectively, to hold said stoppers normally away from the body of the instrument.

.It will be appreciated that the mechanism shown in Fig. 12 embodies the essential principles ,hereinbefore described in that itprovidesmeans by which the motion of two keys is compounded to roducc movement in a stopper, that it ena les three stoppers to be controlled by two keys, and that it enables the stoppen which is controlled by the two keys to .be vibrated for-making a trill by manipulation of either key.

, 14 and 15 illustrate a Special modific-ation of-the four bar linkage mechanism designed to be applied to the Boehm flute for playing the trill from Oh to DB] in both registers, in perfect tune, Withtlic same trill key. Herc R and S represent the C# and D21 tone holes respectively. 112 is a finger piece carried byan arm 113 secured to a sleeve H4 ivota-lly mounted between post 115 and anot ler post not shown, and normally elevated by a spring 116 fixed to the post 115 and bearingon a hook 117 of the Sleeve. A second arm 118 is connected with sleeve 114 and between the two arms there is a semi-cylindrical socket or bearing 119 in which a bar 120 is fitted so that it may turn. This bar carries an arm 121 connected to the stopper 122 for thehole R, and it has another arm 123 connected by a link 124 with an arm 125 fixed on a sleeve 126 piv- 66 and 169, and. carries a so a trill key 170.

oted on a rod 127 and having fixed to it the stopper 128 for the DH .hole S. Also fixed to t e sleeve 126 is a finger piece or trill key 129. The latter is normally raised and the stopper 128 normally closed by a spring 130 acting against a hook 131 on the sleeve. In playing the major trill from Oh to D24 thekey 112 is held down and the key 129 is 'vi-brated,'thus opening and'ciosing both stoppers in unison, and securing perfect venting of the DH hole S, therehy pl lying the noteDh ih'periect tune. Intr' ling rom Oit'to D! the trill key 129 is again vibrated, but the key 112 is released.

16, 17 and 18 illustrate the embodiinent of the principles herein described in a leverimechanism. 'Asbefore, the body of the instrument is designated 1 andithe three holes shown aredesigxiated O, P, a1 1dK,.

as 5, it being assumed for the convenience of description that .the notes produced by uncovering these holes are respectively E Eh and Fe. The stopper 13st,): the 11 1 =Kj1iscarried by an arm which to the sl'eeye 134,;the* 1atterj beingfieelyi 135 and 'earriesithelever 148 of the stopper .156 to vwhich jislpivoted, on a;fulc rum pin 1'51 a lirerfl 152, having a hub portion 153 at or near its center and adjustable stop screws 154- and 155 in its ends.- One of suchends overlaps the arm 144 and its stop screw 154 is ressed-upon by said arnn and theother gcarryin the stop screw 155 overlaps and is presse upon by an arm 156 secu ed tothe rod 135. AISQSGcured to said rod is an arm 157 carrying the finger piece or key 158. The arms 156 and 157, may, if desired, be made in one piece or otherwise connected. These arms are at one end of rod 135. Rigidly secured to the other end-of this IOdlS an arm159 having a foot portion 160 which underlies the foot 139 of arm 138.

The stopper 161 for the holeP is connected to an arm 162 which projects from a block 163.,having a, bearing in the socket 164 which isconneeted with the lever 142, the mounting V-being substantially as shown in Figs. 14 and 15. An arm 164 which projects from the block 163 is connected to a link 165 which latter is ivoted to an arm 166 fast to the sleeve 16 which is pivotally mounted on a rod or screw passin between posts 168 The combination is essentially like that shown in Fig. 5, the two keys 143 and 158 serving to control the three stoppers, and the trill key 170 being operable to open the stopper 161 when the key 143 is depressed. Key 158 acts through the pivot rod 135,-.1rms 159 and 138 and-sleeve 134 to close the stopper 132 alone. Key 143 when depressed acts to turn the sleeve 141 and arm 14?, thereby oscillating arm'138 and sleeve 134 so as also to close stopper 132. It also directly closes the stopper. 161 in the same manner as described in connection with Figs. 14 and 15. When both keys 143 and 158 are depressed simultaneously they move the arms 144 and 156 simultaneously, thereby pressing atthc same time and in the same direction on both ends otthe lever 152, displacing the fulcrum thereof, which swings the arm 150 and causes the sl'eeve147'to turn far enough to closev stopper 149. jWhen either key alone is depressed only one'end of lever 152 is displaeed, and the r-esulting displacement of its central portion is not sufficient to close the stop er 149, or even so nearly close it as to slice "the tone produced at the hole 0. Thus 'by vibrating eitherl key 143 or 158 while holding the other key down, the stopper 149 may be vibrated to produce either a minor trill ora perfectly vented majortrill on the note next lower than that of the hole 0, which in the instrument illustrated is the noteDt. By vibrating the trill key 170 thestopper 161 is opened and closed While the key 143 is depressed, to obtain a trill on the notes E and Ft}, The keys and stoppers are normally held elevated by springs 171, 172,173, and-174 which act on the sleeves 134, .141 and 147 and the arm 156, respectively, in a manner obvious from an inspection of Fig. 17. The sleeve 167 and trill key are acted upon by a spring not shown but which is essentially like the spring 130 in Figs. 14 and 15 and the spring 74 in Figs. 5 and 7, and acts to hold the pad 161 with a firm pressure againstthe seat when pressed toward the instrument by the key 143.

Figs. 19 to 23 inclusive illustrate the application of the lever. mechanism principle to operate a double automatic octave key which is especially adapted for the oboe. In this class of instruments holes are provided which mustbe opened when certain notes are layed. Inthese figures 1 represents the ody of the instrument and 175, 176 represent such holes which are controlled by the stoppers 177 and 178, respectively. In playing all notes from G and below in the second register the hole 175 should be opened, while for playing notes above G the hole 176 should be opened and hole 17 5 closed. The sto per 178 for hole 17 6 is carried by an arm 179 having a sleeve which isrfixed to a long rod 180 rotatably mounted in posts 181, 182, and 183, and also 1611 01 met l 1 b.

thestopp'er 1 I 1 V I thethumb key 191 ispressed the stopper" tuined'in holes inksaid arms. Allsofigre 'thesl'eev'e 188 is a thumb key 191 WhlCll ex? second sleeve 188 is alsopivoted on the rod and to it is secured a pivot p1n;189 on which is fulerumedpivptelly a. lever -190, theends of, whichnre-poiiuected with the arms 1 79 and 1 86 Iresp' duced as shownin tends on the under side] of the instrument body. A spring 192 isfixed in thepost 118 1 and bears on a pm or book 193m'Wh1ChlS rigidly connected with the. lever v190, he,

force oiseid springvbeing sov Applied as to te d t9 d p e th en l th ev w ch 18 me s d/wi herefiwi e new:

as, to

he springs to more he. v tle gefg y s9v l s bo isogpe s. new;

ygm item the m strumeiitjbody. notes below "it are pleyedthe hole A =18 coveredii' endgthe rplayers finger. which,

I ital 'ogbearsflon thelr ng 185 ,and prevents the letter from IlS covers P e u e causcsth stwmhl' re at "1 1s 1:7 by; a t g through the rod 180 e'ndjarm17 9. If at the same time ,th e thumb key 191 is presse upon,

Th ;s ue @18 9 the the lever p'iyot'189 is'.moved.andt e lever is also turned dbdlit 1' co the am 179 'g;s the fulc' rt fi fulslng the stopper 177 and uncovering thelower octave,

hole. "Wh'en the'hole A is uncovered, as it is' when notes shove G impinged-the ring 185 is released, audit the t uml) key is still pressed, the spr' 192 causesthe lever to turn about 1ts p1vot 189 as the fulcrum to close the lower octave hole and open the upper one." Thus when neither fingerpiece, (under :whiohterm I, include both the ring 185 v end'the key' 191,) 1s pressed upon, both stoppers are closed; when both fin r pieces are, pressed upon g is opened; and'when only 178 is opened. Here there is found. the com.- binatio'n fof two fin'ger "pieces and a yielding actuator (thesprin'g 192) 'for controlling the operating of two stoppers. The condition obtains that the motion of a part, namely the stopper 177, is compounded from a positive motion imparted by an operating member (the key 191) and yielding motion im cited by a second member (the spring 1928, and that means, consisting of the finger piece 185 and'the parts connected thereto, are provided for overcoming the effect of the second member. The comv tlvel I preferably being re?- ig.23. and being: con.-:

6D! the ii to G and, all

pound effect of the positive motion and the yielding motion impartedbythe key 191. and the spr' 192, respectively, is to close the stopper 1 7 and open the stopper 178;

instrument of the'type indicatedjwherehyto control all the tone holes by combinations of keys and stoppers so erre-nged that a sufficient number of the stoppers may be controlled by the compound action of two keys toenehle all sequences of notes to be played with ease and toenahle major and minor trills to be performed u on each note wlth comp eteresonance in (pe fect tune an an purity. V The arrangement illustrated is adapted to, he applied to any of the forms of Wood-wind instrumentfso far as I am aware. In these drawings 1 have illustrated two joints oi theinstrument, Fig. 24 showing tlie upper joint andfFig. 25 showing the lower 101111;. By the terms Flipper and lQWQI T dIStlII uishing these joints I have reference to t e reletive positions of the 10ints with respect torthe mouth of 115 6 player, the upper joint being nearer ,to the players month then the lower joint. ,The'

relutive tenns. upper and flower? hove the semesignificance when applied to the tone holes of the instrument, to the stop-- pers for controlling-such tone 'holes, und to the keys or finger pieces. Theinstrument here shown is a strictly openkeyinstrument in which all the stoppers, with excep tions hereinafter noted,o;tre normally held elevated. '1he drawin', however, does not show said stoppers an the keys inthe nor mel position, but represents ell of (those parts which are moved whenjpressed upon as hein in the pressed condition, so that all of t e tone holes are re resented'es be ing closed, a condition whicj does not occur in practice except when the lowest note in the register of the instrument is produced. Inasmuch as the purpose of these particular drawings, that is, Fi 24 to 43 inelusiveis'to show a pose; le mode of applying the principles of my invention to any wood-w1nd instrument, do not'in the following description of construction limit the construction to any. particular instrument. In the description of operation ther on I have suggested that certain of the tone holes may be considered as heing' so lo cated as to roduce notes of c rtei n pitches, but, this is one merely for t e purpose of convenience of description and not with any limiting significance. The pitches of the tone holes might be anything other than those sugge The body portion of the upper joint shown in Figs. 24, 26 and 27 to 37 inclusive is designated 1*, while the body of the lower joint shown in Figs. 25 and 38 to '43 inclusive is designated '1. The key mechanisms, being specifically different in details of construction fromthose shown in the preceding views, have their own distinguishing reference characters. A descri tion. in detail of this embodiment of t e invention follows.

A rodor shaft 195 is pivoted at its ends between posts 196 and 197 on the conical end, ofja-screw 198, in post 196, and on the end of a long screw 199, which passes through post 197 and also through a third post 200. .Shaft 195 carries on its upper cn'dfan arm201, to which is attached the stopper 202 for the'highest "tone hole H ,of the instrument; and a lever 203 and on its ,l'owerend, a lever 204. Lever 204 has an offset end"which'is' jo'verlappe'd by the oppositely offset end of lever 205 carried by sleeve 206, whihus pivoted on' 'the screw-199 between thepbsts -19'7'a'nd 200 and carries akey K and astopi 207 to prevent ke K froni' 'turningover backward;

arallel'to shaft 195"is a screw pin 208, mounted inposts 209 and 210, whereon are pivotally mounted the hubs or eyes 211 of two arms 212 which are rigidly fastened to u. linger piece or key 213. he arms 212 and key 213 form a yoke in the arms of which is mounted a pivot pin ,214 whereon the lever or floating piece 215, carryin the stopper 216 for the second tone hole H is carried and is adapted to turn. Said floating piece215 carries an mm 217, which is connected by a link 218 with an arm 219, carried by a short sleeve 220 having a second arm 221,'and being pivoted on the pin 208 between the yoke arms 212, said arm 221 being connected by a link 222 with the arm 203 on shaft 195, previousl described. A. construction which I 'consi er suitable for the links 218 and 222, and also for duplicate or equivalent links which I use in other parts of the key-mechanism of the instrument and will'presently describe, is to provide each link with integral studs 223 at or near its opposite ends, which are adapted to ass through eyes in the arms or. levers Fas 203-221, 217-219, etc.) coupled by the link and to protrude zit the opposite sides of such arms from the link. The link is secured in connection with the arms .by a single key pin 224 which passes through holes in the protruding ends of the studs and has its ends-bent over to elench them. 4 Y

A spring 225 extends from the post 210 and bears on thehook 226 of one of the yoke arms 212, tending tohold. the key 213 elevated as far as permitted by the stag 227, which is rigid with the key yoke an is arranged to stop against the tube 0f the instrument. A spring 228, extending from the post 209 acts on the hook 229 which projects from sleeve 220 (as shown in Fig. 28) and through sleeve 220, arm 221, link 222, and arm 201 to press thefstopper 202 against the body of the instrument, closing the tone hole under it, and to raise the key K. The same spring acts throu h link 218 to press the stopper 216 toward t e body of the instrument, but is prevented, both by the stopper 202, and'by the fact that the pivot pin 214 is elevated, from causing stopper 216 to close the hole H under the latter when key 213 is in the normal raised position.

The keys 213 and K both control the stopper 216, the one to close it, and the other'to open it while the first is'depressed. If key 213 is depressed while K remains raised, stopper 216 is closed upon the hole under it; and if K is then depressed so as to raisestopper 202 by rotating shaft 195 through the overlapping levers 205 and 204, it also raises stopper 216 through the fourbar linkage described, which swings the stopper lever 215 upwardly about pivot 214. Thus, when stopper 202 is raised, stopper 216 is raised also, whether key 213 is depressed or not, uncovering the hole next below the tone hole opened by 202, and bringing about the condition essential for the production of a tone resonant, clear, and true to itch.

The-t iird'tone hole H" is controlled by a stopper 230 on a lever or floating piece 231 having a hub 232 whichis pivoted on a pin 233and is furnished with a lever arm 234. Pin 233 is carried by a yoke consisting of arms 235 and 236 which are mounted and fastened on a sleeve 237 pivoted on the rod 208, and are rigidly connected by said sleeve and the pin 233. lug 238 on the yoke arm 212 of key 213 overlies arm 235. Arm 236 is connected to or forms a part of a sleeve 239 which is fixed upon the inner sleeve 237, and has an arm 240 provided with a lug over which lies a lug 241 fixed on the side of a lever 242, which carries the stopper 243 for the fourth tone hole H. Pivoted on pin 208, or rather, on sleeve 237 between yoke arms 235 and 236 is a sleeve 244 provided with arms 245 and 246. Arm 245 is connected by a link 247 with an arm 248 on a sleeve 249, surrounding and rotatable on a reduced part of the shaft 195, and arm 246 is connected by a link 250 with the lever arm 234 of the floating piece 231. An arm 251 is fixed to sleeve 249 and carries a key K". A spring 252 mounted in post 209 engages a hook 253 on sleeve 239 and tends to raise yoke 235-233--236 and thereby to elevate'the fulcrum or pivot. 233 of the floating piece 231, While a spring 254 mounted in post 210 presses on a hook 255' tSXFig. 29) on sleeve 244 and tends to turn e 'stopper 230 downwardly about its pivot, and to raise key K. A stop 256 on sleeve 249 is located so as. to contact with the bod of the instrument and pre vent spring 54 from moving the stopper 230 so far as to close tone hole H or so nearly closin it as to affect the quality of tone produce at such hole when the yoke 235-236 is raised.

When the oke 235236 is depressed, and K is left elevated, stop r 230 is elosed, and when K is press this stopper is raised. K when the yoke is raised merely opens the stop er more widely without eifect on the prodbction of the tone at the tone hole H". The floating iece is in eifect a bell-crank lever of whic the fulcrum is the pin 233, and the arms are 231 and 234. Movement of the yoke shifts the fulcrum and moves the bell-crank bodily to close and 0 en the tone hole, and movement of key 5 swings the bell-crank about its fulcrum. Essentially the same thing is true of the floating piece 215217 carrying the stopper. 2160f the tone hole H 7 The arm 242 for the sto per 243 of the fourth toiie hole His fixe on a shaft 257 pivoted between posts 210 and 258 on the pointed ends of screw rod 208 (previousl described) and'of a similar rod 259 whici is threaded through the .post 258, and the other [end of which is mounted in a post 260. An arm 261 is fixed to shaft 257 and overlaps an arm 262, fixed to a sleeye 263, which surrounds'and turns on the screw rod 259. An arm 264 carrying a key 265 has a hub 266 and is also fixed on this sleeve by meansof this hub. Depressing key 265 is thus e ective to swing arm 262 outward, carrying with it the arm 261, and thus to turn shaft 257 and close stopper 243. A key 267, connected to a sleeve 268 which is pivoted on shaft 257, extends partly over the stopper arm 242 and, when depressed, bears on a lug 269 (Fig. 31) on said arm. Thus either key 265 or key 267 is effective to close the stopper 243 of the tone hole H; and these same keys, and also key 213, close the stopper 230 of the tone hole H through the lug 241 or the lug 238 respectively. Stopper 243 is the stop which limits the motion of either key 265 or 267. The stopper is raised by a spring 270 mounted in post 258 which bears on a lug 271 of the arm 242 (Fig.31) and key 265 is raised by a spring 272 mounted in post 260, bearinp; against a hook 273 of the hub 266, until stopped when the arm 262 comes in contact with the body of the instrument.

The stopper 274 for the tone hole H carried by a floatin lever 27 5., fulcrumed on a pin 276 mounte in the arms 277-278 of a third yoke, which arms are connected by a tie bar 279 (Fig. 32) as well as by the pin 276 and are pivoted on the shaft 257. The hub or sleeve of yoke arm 277 carries a downwardly projecting lever arm 280 (Fig. 32) which laps over at its end the end of a lever arm 281 fixed to the hub of finger key 267 and the hub of yoke arm 278 carries a similar lever arm 282 (Fig. 26) which overlies a lever arm 283 secured to the finger key 284. Thus the stopper 274 may be closed u on its tone hole by depression of either key 267 or ke 284. The stopper 274 is normally held e evated by a spring 285 mounted in post 258 pressing a ainst a lug 286 (Fig. 32) of the yoke arm 2 7, which raises tie yoke and also the keys 267 and 284 until the levers 281 and 283 come to bear against the body of the instrument. The floating lever 275 has an eye 287 forming a short arm which is connected by a link 288 to an arm 289 fixed upon a s eeve 290, which is pivoted on the rod 257 and carries an arm 291 equipped with a thumb key K. This thumb key serves to raise the stopper 274 when either key 267 or 284 is pressed down, by drawing back the arm 289 and link 288 and turning the floating lever 275 about its fulcrum 276. A spring '292 mounted in post 210 acts on a hook 293 on sleeve 290 for raising the thumb key and swinging the floating lever 275 as far toward the body of the instrument as permitted by a step 294 (Fig. 32).

The stopper 295 for the sixth tone hole H is similarly controlled by the key 284 and thumb key K (but not by key 267), being carried by a floatina lever 296 fulcrumed on a pin 297 carried by a yoke 298 299-300. 298 is the arm to which the finger piece of key 284 is fastened, and 299 is a cross tie rigidly connecting it with the arm 300, both arms being pivoted on the bar 257. It is the arm 298 of this yoke which carries the lever arm 283, previously described, and it lies beside the arm 278 of the third yoke. A spring 301 mounted in post 210 bears on a lug 302 (fixed to the arm 300) and tends to hold the key 284 and the floating lever 296 and its stop )er pad 295 in the normal raised position. n arm or lug 303, forming part of the floating lever 296, is connected by a link 304 with an arm 305 on a sleeve 306, and the latter is rigidly connected to the sleeve 290 carrying the thumb key, by a tie 307 which bridges the arms 278, 298,01? the adjacent yokes.

A stopper or pad 309, provided for controlling the seventh tone hole H", is mounted on a floating lever 310 which is pivoted on a pin 311 carried by a yoke composed of the arms, 312, 313 (which are pivoted on the 300 of the yoke to which key 284 is connected. The levers 316, 317, and also the levers 261, 262, are shown in a somewhat diagrammatic manner at the side of the instrument body in Fig. 24 for additional clearness of illustration. Actually these levers are hidden in plan view. Thus depression of key 284 has the effect of depressing yoke 312313 and seating pad 309 on the rim of the tone hole H". When 284 is released, the yoke is raised, and the tone hole opened, by a spring 318 mounted in post 260 engaging a lug 319 on.the yoke arm 312 and turning said yoke until the lever arm 317 comes against the body of the instrument. A key: K serves to raise stopper 309 when key 284 is depressed by actingthrough an intermediate lever 320--v 323 which is pivoted on the sleeve 263 and has an upstanding arm 320 connected to an eye 321 of the floating lever-310 by a link 322, and has also anqinwardly, projecting arm 323. Key K is fast {to a sleeve 324, mounted to turn about the sleeve 249 on shaft' 195, and to sleeve 324 is fixed an arm 325 having a lug 326 (see Fi 35) 'which'underlies lever,

arm 323; Thus, epression of K raises. arm,

325, lug 326,- and arm 323, and swings lever- 320 backwardly, which ulls on link 322 to raise the stopper 309. rm 325 is bowed to pass over the hub of floating lever 310 and give plenty of clearance for the movement. of the latter when its yoke is raised, and it is continued toward the bodyof the instrument to provide a stop 327. A spring 328 fixed in post 358 resses on a hook 329 of lever 320 to hold t e stopper toward its seat and raise the key K as far as permitted by the stop 327. This sprin is short and stifi to press the ad 309 fir y a ainst its seat when the yo e 312313 is epressed, for the depression of the yoke merely lowers the pivot of the floating stopper lever without applying. positive pressure to the pad itself. For the same reason, the springs 228, 254, and 292, which press the stoppers216, 230 and 274vand 295, respectively toward their seats, are made short and stifi'. The spring 328 has additional work to do, as will prescntly appear, which is a further reason for making it relatively powerful.

The stopper 331 for the eighth tone hole H is carried by a floating lever 332, having a hub or sleeve which is pivoted on a pin 333 fixed in the yoke 334335336 37), composed of the arms 334 and 336, which are fixed to the sleeves 337 and 338 respectively, and the rigid cross tie bar 335 (Fig. 37 which latter is'also a stop. The sleeves 337, 338 are mounted to turn on the sleeve 263 to which the arm 264 of the finger key 265 is fixed, as above described. Fixed also to the sleeve 337 is an arm 339 carrying a roll 340 which lies under and may be pressed upon by a finger or projection 341 on the stopper 309. The sleeve 266 of finger key 265 carries a lever arm 342 which is connected to a lug 343 of the floating lever 332 by a link 344. Both the yoke, key, and stopper are raised and normally held elevated by the spring 345 fixed in post 260, which bears on the lug 346 of arm 339, and by the spring 272 (already described), which acts on the hook 273 of the key arm 264. In this particular mechanism the yoke and key both act in the same direction, and the conjoint action of both is necessary to close the stopper 331. That is, stopper 331 is not closed until both keys 284 and 265 are depressed, while it may be opened, even thou h these keys are depressed, by the key I which raises stopper 309 and allows the arm 339 and yoke 334-336 to rise also.

Lower joint, (Figs. 25 and 38 to 43 inclusive) .Posts 348, 349 and 350 support a rod 351 von which between the posts 348 and 349 is pivoted a sleeve 352, to which are fixed an arm 353 carrying the stopper 354 for the tone hole H, an arm 355, and an arm 356. Arm 355 has a foot which underlies a foot on thelever 357 which extends from sleeve 338 of the upper joint, which is connected with yoke 334336 carrying the floating stopper lever 332, previously described. Thus, when stopper 354 is depressed, by means presently to be described, the same efiect on lever 332 iscaused as is caused by depression of stopper 309. A spring 358, fixed in post 349, bears on a hook on the under side of arm 353 and tends to raise stolpper 354. i

lso pivoted on rod 351, or rather, on an inside sleeve 359 which surrounds rod 351, are sleeves 360, 361 and362, which are rigidly connected by the yokes-363-364365, and 366367368, respectively, and sleeve 360 carries an arm 369 having a finger key 370 which extends over stopper 354. Yoke 363364365 carries a pivot pin- 371 on which is fulcrumed a floating lever 372 carrying the stopper 373 for the tone hole H and yoke 366367-368 carries a pivot pin 374 which is the fulcrum for a floating lever 375 carrying the stopper 376 for the tone hole H Pivoted on a parallel axis 377 between posts 378, 379 (Figs. 38 and 39) is a sleeve 380 to which are fixed a key K an arm 381, and a stop 382. The arm 381 is connected by a link 383 (similar to those already described) with an arm 384 on the floating lever 372. This arm differs from those previously described in that it projects down instead of up, but it is operated and acts in essentially the same manner. A spring 385 fixed in post 379 bears on a hook 386 of the key K tending to raise the key ,until stop 382 comes to bear on the body of the instrument, and tending also to swing stopper 373 toward its seat, although without closing the tone hole under it, except 

